Naughty Or Nice
by TStabler
Summary: It's that time of year, again, when Santa makes a list, checks it twice, to see who's been good, and who's only getting a few lumps of coal in their stocking. A One-Shot Holiday series featuring New York's Finest being very nice...and very naughty. EO, FMel, MA, Family, others. Rated M for the naughty bits.
1. Special Delivery

**A/N: The first in this years Holiday one-shot series. Love and blessings to everyone. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

"Maybe a little to the left?" Maureen wondered out loud. "No, the right!"

Dickie let go of the tree and folded his arms, giving his sister a look she'd only seen from her father. "Knock it off!"

Maureen chuckled. "They're gonna be home soon," she shrugged. "I just want it to be...perfect."

Lizzie stared out the window and sighed. "I got a bad feeling," she said, "That maybe they're not gonna make it home today."

Dickie heaved the tree back up into his arms and moved it into the corner. Dropping it with a sigh, he clapped his hands together and said, "Dad promised they'd be home by Christmas Eve." He looked over at his twin sister. "He hasn't broken a promise in a long time. Not since..."

"I know," Lizzie interrupted. "But it's getting bad out there, and we don't know where they are now, how they have to travel to get home. I'm just..."

Kathleen rested a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I know, kiddo. We're all scared."

The Stabler kids gathered around the window, watching the snow fall, hoping that the weather wouldn't keep their father from keeping his promise.

* * *

"You guys are out of your mind!" Cragen shouted over the wind. "Please, don't do this! Just wait it out! We can all go home in the..."

"I promised my kids!" Elliot yelled, helping Olivia into the back of a large truck. He grabbed a rail and the inner door handle and pulled himself up, too. Then he turned. "We'll be fine! Just...get our bags home for us, okay? We're gonna be fine!" he assured Cragen, and then he slammed the door.

He backed up and turned, then sat on the side seats, right next to Olivia. He took both of her hands in his and rubbed them together. "You okay?"

She nodded as he brought her hands to his mouth and blew hotly into them. She suddenly felt heat in more than just her hands, and she pulled her hands from his to cup his face. "Are you okay?"

He sighed. "I'm fine," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. "Once we get home, I'll be even better."

His hot breath so close to her lips made her shiver and moan, and she pressed herself further into him, brushing her lips against his.

"Baby, you're freezing," he whispered before kissing her quickly and then aiming a sharp look at the driver. "Hey, Mac, can you put the heat on or something?"

The driver looked over his shoulder. "It's a cargo truck, Detective. It's climate controlled. There are blankets under your seat, though. Don't mind the smell. We use them to cover the seats when we have to transport animals."

Olivia rolled her eyes then laughed in spite of the situation. "Well, we appreciate the ride anyway."

Elliot pulled the stiff wool blankets up off the floor and bundled himself and Olivia up tightly. "Really," he agreed. "Thanks."

"Hey," the driver said, starting to move the truck out of the airport lot, "I have a family, too. I know what it means to get home to them."

Olivia squinted. "So, why are you..."

"This is my last delivery," the driver interrupted with a smile. "Thought I'd make it an extra special one." He winked as he made a U-turn and pulled onto the highway. "So how many ya got?"

"Five," Elliot said with a smile. "Youngest is almost six, the oldest is...God, she's gonna be twenty-eight this year." He shivered.

"What? No way," the driver protested. "You're way too young to have a kid that old."

Elliot smirked. "I got an early start. Very early."

The driver laughed. "I gotcha. Detective Benson, I gotta say, and please don't take no offense to this, but you got one hell of a body for a broad that's got a brood like that."

Olivia opened her mouth to explain, but Elliot spoke up before she could. "She's incredible, isn't she?" He peered down at Olivia and brushed his lips over the crown of her head.

Olivia smiled as she leaned back into him, and she sighed deeply when she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling the blanket tight. She tilted her head to look up at him and gave him a soft grin.

He returned her sweet look, then kissed her forehead, and whispered, "We'll make it, Liv."

"I believe you," she nodded, curling herself up into him, and settling in for what she knew would be a very long, very bumpy ride.

* * *

"How does this look?" Kathleen asked, looking down from the step ladder at her brother.

Dickie looked up at her. "Like Rudolph and Vixen are way more than just friends."

Kathleen looked confused, but she gasped when she turned back to the sleigh decoration she was hanging in the window. "You're sick, Dick," she scolded, flipping the light-up Rudolph around the right way.

"Don't blame me! That's what it looked like!" he chuckled. "Besides, with what Dad and Liv do for a living, it's hard not to see the perversion in everything in the entire world."

Maureen hummed in agreement as she held up two plants. "Where?"

Lizzie stopped untangling the lights and looked up. "Uh, the mistletoe, on the ceiling in the doorway." She tilted her head. "And the poinsettias in the center of the coffee table."

"Hey, guys," Dickie said, his tone serious. "Look."

Slowly his sisters walked over to him. "Oh," Maureen said, her eyes low and dark, as she saw what her brother pulled out of the box of ornaments.

"I don't think we should put that one on the tree," Kathleen said, shaking her head. "Not this year, anyway."

Dickie tried to smile. "But we all look really awesome," he twirled the custom photo ornament in his fingers.

"We look happy," Lizzie sighed. "Shows how great we could fake it when we had to."

Maureen took the ornament away from Dickie. "Bad memories belong in the past," she said, wrapping tissue paper around the ceramic. "Speaking of Mom, did she call yet?"

Kathleen shook her head as she moved back to her reindeer. "No," she gruffed. "And she probably won't. If she was going to, she would have by now, right?"

"She called last year," Dickie said, staring down at the ornament in his hand sadly. "Every day for the entire week of Winter break. You don't think she's still mad about Dad and Liv, do you?"

Lizzie snorted. "She took off in the middle of the night two years ago! Who did she think Dad was gonna call? What did she honestly think was gonna happen?" She sighed. "We all knew if it was gonna be anyone after Mom, it was gonna be Liv."

"Mom knew long ago," Dickie grumbled. "Maybe that's really why she left. To let it happen." There was silence, until he sighed and said, "It really is time for new family pictures, isn't it?"

Lizzie resumed her light unknotting, and she gave a long exhale. "Dad said we'd go to the mall and take new pictures with..."

"Mall's closed, kid," Maureen said. "Parking lot is under two feet of snow, and the water pipes froze. Why do you think I'm home? We had to close the store and leave before it got too bad."

Lizzie looked disappointed, but Dickie spoke up. "We could still take them, though! We could all get dressed, take a few in front of the tree with Maureen's camera..."

"Hey, yeah!" Kathleen agreed. "No waiting in lines, no waiting for them to print, we could just plug the camera into the computer and print them here."

"I have a program that could make the pictures into stickers, too," Lizzie said with excitement. "We have some plain ornaments we could..."

The doorbell interrupted her.

Maureen looked around, then slowly moved to the door. She looked out through the peephole. "Are we expecting anything from UPS?"

"Yeah, just that thing Dad ordered for Eli that was on backorder," Kathleen shrugged.

"Oh, right," Maureen said, unhooking the lock on the door. She opened the door and smiled. "Hello," she said, greeting the delivery man.

"Special delivery for the Stabler family," he said, holding out a clipboard.

"Thanks," Maureen said, signing her name. "I'm surprised you guys come out in weather like this," she said, tapping the pen and handing the clipboard back to him.

The man grinned. "Well, this needed to be here by Christmas Eve." He stepped aside and Maureen squealed.

"What?" Kathleen yelled, running. "Oh, my God! Daddy! Liv!"

Elliot and Olivia both laughed, pulling his two oldest daughters into their arms. Lizzie and Dickie ran over fast, piling into the hug.

"Not that I'm not really happy to see you guys," Dickie began, "But why do you smell like wet dog?"

Bursting into a fit of laughter, Elliot and Olivia shook their heads. "It's a long story."

They all moved into the living room, Elliot and Olivia turned to wave to the man who saved their Christmas, but he was already gone. "We'll find him, baby," Elliot said, pulling Olivia's hand, reading her thoughts as he brought her into the warm house. He closed the door then took off her coat, then his. He hung them both on the rack, and let the last bit of chill roll off his shoulders.

"Wow," Olivia laughed as she looked around the room. "It looks great in here!"

Elliot wrapped his arms around Olivia as he squinted. "What's up with Rudolph?"

Kathleen rolled her eyes as she ran to fix reindeer again, and the rest of the kids laughed at her. "We've been up since six," Maureen said. "It just...didn't feel like home without all of this stuff."

Elliot smiled at his kids. "Better late then never," he said with a wink. "Where's Eli?"

"Sleeping," Dickie said, pulling the crystal angel out of the box and setting it on the coffee table. "I tried to wake him up and he kicked me in the stomach. Maybe you'll have better luck."

Olivia and Elliot laughed, then they sat on the couch and relaxed into the comfort of home, of each other.

"Oh! Your case! Did you catch him?" Lizzie asked.

Elliot cleared his throat, getting the flashing image of Olivia shooting the man. who was aiming a gun at him, out of his head. "Yeah," he said, nodding once. "We got him." He pulled Olivia closer, reassuring himself it was over.

Kathleen, walking back toward them, folded her arms. "Go shower, take a nap, then get dressed." She smiled. "Preferably in red and white. We've got cookies to bake, a tree to light up, and pictures to take."

Olivia chuckled. "Wow, you guys really planned..."

"Stabler Christmas traditions, Liv," Dickie interrupted. "It just isn't Christmas without them. We still have time, and Dad did promise us."

"And I swore I would never break another promise to them," Elliot affirmed, kissing Olivia quickly. "Or you."

The kids watched as Olivia and their father got off of the couch and padded up the stairs. They would never know what the last two weeks were like, they'd never know the details of the case that almost made them miss Christmas and everything after it, and they would never know the name of the delivery man who gave them a Christmas miracle. But what they did know, was that Christmas this year would be better than ever.

**A/N: Next, someone ends up on Santa's "naughty" list ;)**


	2. Naughty List

**A/N: Someone's been naughty. Very naughty. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

"Ma," Elliot groans into the phone, rolling his eyes. "Ma, please, don't deep fry the...because...because she woke up this morning and told me she's a vegetarian now." The aggravation in his voice amuses the woman standing in the kitchen doorway, watching. "We're bringing a Tofurky. No, I...I don't know what that is, just...Mom..." he rolls his eyes again. "Mom, Ma, just...okay! Deep fry the turkey! Do exactly what Bobby Flay tells you to do!"

The woman shakes her and laughs as he hangs up the phone, then throws it onto the counter. "You realize what just hap..."

"Shut up," he interrupts. "I know, okay? I..." he licks his lips and his nostrils flare. "That woman...she...I just..." he makes a frustrated growling noise as he makes a choking gesture in the air in front of him. "I can't say no to her, Liv. She talks in circles and then I just...I give up."

"She's your mother, El," Olivia shrugs, wrapping her arms around him.

He calms and his hands move to her hips, sliding up and down, caressing the rounds of her ass. "You do the same thing to me, ya know."

"Do I?" she asks, playing innocent, though the gleam in her eye and the way she bites her lip lets him know she knows exactly what he's talking about.

"Well, I don't want to strangle you," he teases. "But if you say or do the right things, especially when you're naked, you know I will agree to anything you want." He wags his eyebrows.

She chuckles and leans into him. "I'll keep that in mind," she jokes, kissing him. Her sweet kiss turns into much more when he moves, latching onto her neck, biting, sucking, squeezing her ass through her long sleepshirt. She can't stop the moan that he pulls from her. "El, the kids are..."

"Still at their mothers," he mumbles, still sucking on her skin. His hands slip up her sides, then graze over her nipples, and he laughs when they harden instantly. "Love that," he whispers, nipping at her throat.

"God, El," she moans, her head falling back, her actions arguing with her words. "We have so much to do before we go to your moth..."

"It can wait," he grumbles, and he wraps one arm around her waist and hoists her up onto the counter. His lips claim hers as he tweaks lightly on her nipples, then trails his hands lower, slipping them under her cotton tee. "Oh," he goads, feeling nothing but smooth, bare, wet skin. "Someone is on Santa's naughty list this year."

She snaps at his bottom lip, tugging it lightly, her breath hot and heavy. "Santa likes it when I'm naughty," she jibes back, raising one eyebrow as her nails rake down his bare chest.

He moans her name as he moves closer, as his hands press against the insides of her thighs, spreading her for him. He slips one finger through her folds and curses, then pulls it away and sucks it into his mouth.

It makes her give him a slightly inhuman noise in response, and her ankles hook around him, just beneath his ass. Her eyes lock onto his, her hands push his boxers down slowly, and she takes hold of him. Stroking him, she pulls him out of the plaid cotton, her eyes still looking deeply into his.

He shakes his head and crashes his mouth into hers, swatting her hand away and thrusting his hips, pushing into her. He holds her tight as he moves, his forehead pressed to hers, and the laundry list of things they have yet to do is momentarily forgotten. "God, I love you," he chokes out, pressing further into her.

She's pressed against him with such intensity she can feel his heartbeat, their eyes are open, staring. Their breath comes in matched huffs as she bucks off the counter, meeting him for every thrust. "Love you," she pants back to him, her head rolling back with a low moan. She snaps her head back up in response to a particularly hard thrust and her teeth sink into his neck.

"Fuck," he seethes, but he holds a hand to the back of her head, stroking, playing with her hair as she bites harder, as he slams into her. They moan louder, their breathing picks up more speed, their bodies slap loudly against each other.

"Holy..." and he swallows, then grunts and hooks both hands under her knees, pulling her into him every time he bucks his hips. "Baby," he puffs out.

Her answer is another hard bite, this time to his shoulder, and her nails dig into his back, deeply scratching as she trembles in his arms, clenching around him. "God, Elliot," she whines, then she shudders against him and lets out the tiniest whimpers before a feral but muffled cry of his name.

He thrusts into her hard, three more times, then stills and pulls her hair, bringing her head upright. He kisses her hard, his tongue tangling with hers as he groans and grunts and pulsates inside of her, shooting into her. He pulls away, peppering her cheek, neck, both shoulders, and chest with soft, light kisses.

They spend a few wonderful moments holding each other, breathing, but the phone snaps them out of their blissful break from reality.

He kisses her forehead, and stays where he is as he reaches over and grabs the cordless, picking up the call. "Hi, Ma," he says, rolling his eyes. "Because I always know when it's you. What are you...oh, um, fish? No, uh, she actually just decided she's going total vegan on me, so...Mom! Mom, stop yelling! No, the...you can put sausage in the stuffing, I just...Ma, okay! Okay! Stop! I was kidding! She's not...calm down. Whatever you make is going to be perfect. I promise. I love you."

She smiles at him as he hangs up, and she kisses the end of his nose. "You know she only called about the..."

"Sausage in the stuffing," he bites his lip and nods with a sigh. "Every time."

She laughs as she rubs noses with him and kisses him again. "She's just trying to make Christmas Eve dinner perfect."

He kisses her harder, pulling her close again, and he growls softly in her ear. "Be a good girl and maybe Santa will bring you one of your presents early."

A shiver runs down her spine, her mind races, and she moans softly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he nods. And he winks. He knows, good or bad, she's getting a present tonight, and it's one he knows will keep him off the naughty list. At least for this year.

**A/N: Next: Christmas Eve dinner with Bernie, and that early present.**


	3. Weekend at Bernie's

**A/N: Christmas Eve with the Stablers takes an unexpected turn...**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

"Everything looks wonderful in here, Ma," Elliot says, looking around with a smile on his face. The tree is adorned with ornaments from his childhood, including a wreath he'd made out of pasta in third grade. "You kept...everything," he laughs.

Bernie puts her hands on her hips. "Christmas is a time for family and wonderful memories, Elliot," she says. "I happen to have a sentimental connection to everything you kids touched when you lived in this house, especially those little trinkets you made in school."

"Aw, Ma," he says with a soft smile. Then he looks closer at the fireplace. The stockings he remembers from his youth are hung. All of the photos on the mantle are ones of him and his siblings with Santa, and every holiday card that had been sent to his mother since Thanksgiving hangs on the wall.

Olivia smiles, seeing his face, and she rests a hand on his shoulder. "You do have some wonderful memories," she whispers to him.

He looks at her and nods. "Making more every day." He kisses her forehead and takes a seat on the couch. He tugs her down beside him and pulls her close, wrapping his arm around him. "Oh," he says, looking up when his mother holds out a cup to him. "Thanks."

"Non-alcoholic," Bernie says with a smile, handing a similar cup to Olivia. "Just in case."

Olivia rolls her eyes as she sips her egg nog, and she chuckles. "Not yet, Bernie."

"Olivia..." Bernie tilts her head as she sings the name. "How many times do I have to ask you to call me..."

"Mom," Elliot interrupts, putting his ceramic mug on the coffee table. "Are Noah and Frannie coming?"

"Your sister is on her way, bringing her new fella," Bernie says with a sigh as she sits in a rocker by the tree. "Noah and the kids will be here, but Sarah is...not."

Maureen looks up. "Aunt Sarah isn't coming?"

Lizzie makes a whooping noise, then clears her throat. "Sorry."

Bernie laughs. "I'm not fond of her, either. Just like another of my son's ex-wives, she didn't really fit into this family." She turns to Elliot. "At least you got it right this time."

Olivia chokes on her egg nog and Elliot laughs as he pats her back. "I did," he says, winking at Olivia. He looks at his kids, already pawing at the gifts under the tree and seeing who has more. "I got it right thirteen years ago, when I fell...head over heels...for you." He kisses her temple and nuzzles her nose with his.

She turns her head, a soft smile on her face, and her lips brush against his. "Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah," he whispers, nodding, smirking, and he leans in for a kiss when Bernie's doorbell rings.

All heads turn when the door swings wide open and Elliot's brother and nephew come in. The child runs over to his cousins by the presents, but Noah holds open his arms. "Hey, hey, hey Stabler..." he stops, and he looks at Olivia. "You're not Kathy."

"Thank God for that," Bernie chortles, walking over to hug her younger son.

Elliot clears his throat. "Kathy's been gone for..."

"Right, right," Noah holds up both hands. "The D-word."

"Where's Sarah, exactly?" Elliot says, digging back at his little brother. He narrows his eyes as he sips his egg nog, his other hand smoothing up and down Olivia's thigh, unintentionally teasing her.

"Touché," Noah remarks, taking a seat on the couch across from his brother and Olivia. "Wait," he says, pointing. "You're the cop. His partner." He smirks and laughs. "Son of bitch, you were fuc..."

"Noah!" Elliot stops him loudly, then clenches his jaw. "First off, no I wasn't, second...watch the mouth in front of my kids, huh?"

Noah folds his arms and leans back. "You were, you dog," he shakes his head and clicks his tongue. "No wonder you told me to back off."

"Excuse me?" Olivia raises an eyebrow and turns up the corners of her mouth at Elliot.

He coughs but he speaks. "Four years ago," he starts, "He came by the station on his way to a Yankee game to see if I wanted his extra ticket, he saw you at your desk, and..."

"And I told him in no uncertain terms that you'd look better out of your pants than in them," Noah cracks, licking his lips. "So, big brother, was I right?"

"Knock it off, Noah," Elliot grits. He gives his brother a harsh look and the younger Stabler retreats.

"Anyway," Noah says, rolling his shoulders. "When's the wedding?"

Olivia and Elliot look at each other, they share a smile, his hand creeps higher on her thigh, and Elliot opens his mouth to speak when the door opens again.

"Aunt Fran!" Kathleen cheers, seeing her father's sister walking into the house. One by one the kids run to her, hugging her tight, laughing and shouting happily.

"You guys didn't give me a greeting like that!" Noah yells.

Elliot chuckles. "You're not dating a rock star," he says. He waves to his sister, who winks back at him, and he watches as Fran and her boyfriend are pulled toward the tree by the children and teens.

"Dinner's almost ready," Bernie announces. "I do hope everyone likes deviled eggs."

"Ma," Elliot rolls his eyes. "Really, you make the same meal every year. It's..."

"This year," Bernie interrupts, is different. "There are people absent from the table, there are people joining us, and there are people who are now here in different capacities." She sighs. "I just wanted to make it all..."

Olivia reaches for Bernie's hand and smiles. "It's all perfect," she says, blinking slowly.

"Yes," Bernie says, smiling back at her. "It is."

"Ya know what, Ma," Elliot stands, pulling Olivia off of the couch byher hand, "Can you just hold dinner off for a few minutes?"

Bernie nods, then watches as Elliot pulls Olivia up the stairs.

Turning left, Elliot opens a door and ushers Olivia into a dark room. His lips find hers, his hands pull at her wrists, making her wrap her arms around him. He winds his own around her, and the kiss deepens.

"El," she protests, but her nails dig into his back.

He pulls away from her, resting her forehead to hers. "I just needed a minute...alone with you. You're gonna be grilled at the table, baby. My mother's going to be asking about wedding plans and babies, my sister is gonna want details of every man you've loved before me and what your intentions are with the kids, and Noah is probably gonna try to get in your pants after he polishes off a bottle of Jack."

"Slow down!" she laughs, and she brushes his hair back a few times, looking into his eyes. "I've spent Christmas with your family before. Your sister knows that there hasn't really been anyone but you for a very long time, and Noah knows if he touches me I'll break his fingers and you'll break his legs."

He chuckles and kisses her again. "But what about my mother?"

"We tell her the truth," she shrugs, kissing the end of his nose. "If it happens, it's gonna be small and probably in the courthouse, and babies...we have enough of..."

"Liv," he stops her. "We never talked about...I mean if you want them I..." he tries to find the words. "I want them. With you. I do. We...we can try, can't we?"

"Can it wait until after the presents?"

Olivia and Elliot turn at the sound of the voice, and they smile at Dickie. "Sure," Elliot laughs, ruffling his son's hair.

The trio walks back down the stairs, taking their seats at the dinner table. Elliot sighs as he looks at each face that surrounds him, his family, and then he looks at Olivia. "You fit," he says to her, low, in her ear. "You belong right where you are, Liv."

She gives him a cockeyed look.

"This family," he tells her. "It's your family. You're...you're my family, Liv. What I meant upstairs...what I was trying to..."

"If you two are finished," Bernie interjects. "I'd like to say the Christmas prayer and carve into this divinely fried turkey."

Elliot rolls his eyes, quickly kisses Olivia, then folds his hands and bows his head. He listens to his mother reciting the prayer he's heard every Christmas Eve for as long as he can remember, and he realizes it all means so much more to him now. He looks over at Olivia, and he grins. Her head is down and her hands are clasped, though he knows she isn't really praying.

"Amen," Bernie says, and a chorus of voices echoes her. She looks at Elliot. "Now, honey, if you'd like to finish giving yourself your present now, you may."

Elliot turns pink, he hadn't planned on this happening now, or in front of his entire family. "Uh, well I could...it can wait if..."

"No," Bernie says sternly, sliding a small wrapped package over to him. "It can't. I won't allow it. You've waited long enough."

The kids all look at each other, then at their father, who hands the red and green box to Olivia.

"It's not Christmas, yet, El," she tells him. "We said we were waiting until..."

"Liv," Maureen says with a small laugh. "You really want to open this one."

Lizzie giggles. "It's really...I mean...yeah, just...open it."

Olivia looks at the girl she thinks of as a daughter, and she pulls off the bow gently, then tears the paper on the small box. "El?" she questions warily, staring down at the black box in her hand.

He bites his lip, then he reaches over and lifts the lid. As soon as he sees her eyes widen he kisses her cheek. "Marry me," he whispers in her ear.

She's stunned, his hot breath combined with his words send chills down her back. She lets out a small whimper before looking at him. "That's what...upstairs...you were trying to..." She watches him nod, sees the nervousness in his eyes, and she smiles as the warm tears slide down her cheeks.

He swipes his thumb gently over her skin, wiping her tears. "Liv?"

She nods, throwing her arms around his neck, and Elliot looks heavenward as he sighs in relief and holds her tight. "Merry Christmas," he breathes, shaking slightly.

"Oh, El," she sniffles on his shoulder, kissing his cheek. "The happiest."

**A/N: next, someone is certain Christmas will be cold and lonely, until a midnight visitor brings the heat!**


	4. Time Out

**A/N: Someone's sure they're spending Christmas Eve alone. But someone else...has other plans.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

**"Fuck," Elliot fumes, punching one of the metal lockers lining the walls. **

**A voice behind him sighs and says, "Your knuckles just healed from the last..."**

**"Not now," he gruffs, bashing his fist once again into the locker with a grunt. **

**The owner of the voice walks closer to him, rests both hands on his shoulders, squeezes. "What happened?" she whispers smoothly and hotly into his ear. It makes him shiver and she rubs deeper into his shoulders. **

**"Fucking...job," he hisses, slamming his head down into the locker in front him. He drops both arms to his sides, trying to relax into her touch. **

**Her lips graze his earlobe softly as she speaks. "Different department," she says, "Same shit."**

**He scoffs. "I thought I'd be out on time," he tells her. "Thought I'd get to spend the night at home. It's Christmas Eve, it..."**

**"It's okay," she says, though she's disappointed. "I'll call Kathy, tell her you'll have to pick up the kids in the morning on the way to your mother's, and I'll..." she sighs again as her hands work the tension out of his back. "I'm sure It's A Wonderful Life is o****n tonight, I'll spend my night with Jimmy Stewart, Ben, and Jerry."**

**He shakes his head as he turns to face her, his arms wrap around her waist. "That's not the..." he closes his eyes and his head falls to her shoulder. He nuzzles into the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry," he whines. **

**She kisses the top of his head as her hands keep wringing out the knots in his neck. "It's the job," she says. "You know I know that."**

**He nods, looking up. He kisses her lips, cupping her face, and he says, "Don't wait up for me, Liv."**

**She rolls her eyes. "El," she chuckles. "I spent over a decade waiting for you. I think I can last a few more hours than usual tonight."**

**He narrows his eyes. "I took this job so we'd have all the time together we'd want," he whispers, his fingers toying with the hem of her shirt. "Same building, match the schedules, come together, leave together."**

**"This is gonna happen, El," she says back, looking into his eyes. She kisses the end of his nose. "Be careful. You come home to me in one piece, you hear me?"**

**He smiles and nods, then kisses her, a deeply powerful but terribly short kiss. "I love you."**

**She smiles and her eyes light up as she looks at him. "I love you, too." She tugs on his red and green tie. "Guess you're not gonna get to open your present tonight, though."**

**He growls and smirks as he nips at her lips. "Don't be so sure of that," he teases. "The minute I get home, I am...definitely opening it." He kisses her once more. "Go, baby. Go home, before we give someone a reason to come looking for us."**

**She laughs, and though it's killing her, she pulls away from him. Her mind stays with him, though,**** as she walks out of the locker room, no matter how hard she tries to stop it. She makes it to the car and sighs as she unlocks it, gets in, and turns the key.**

**She smiles a bit, remembering how not too long ago she didn't have to drive. She pulls out of the lot and purposely takes a detour passed her old apartment building, and shakes her head at the memories it holds. It looks so small to her now. Cold.**

**She hums a Christmas carol to herself as she heads for the bridge, and she doesn't even realize it's snowing until she needs to turn on her windshield wipers. It takes an hour in traffic to get home, but she turns the wheel, leading the car into the driveway, and parks with a sigh. She takes the key out of the ignition and she tilts her head as she looks toward the elaborately decorated blue house. **

**She laughs as she opens her door and gets out. She never thought she'd have a house of her own, or that she'd be sharing it with Elliot Stabler, the man who'd been so out of reach for so long. She climbs the steps, gets the mail out of the box, then thrusts the key into the door and opens it with a small "oof."**

**She flicks the light switch as she kicks the door shut, then taps in the alarm code on the panel. She kicks off her shoes, pulls off her coat, and tosses her keys and the mail onto the coffee table. Rubbing her hands together, she trods over to the fireplace, and pushes the button to turn on the automatic lighter on the side. **

**When nothing happens, she tilts her head, kicks the starter log to make sure it's next to the ignition, then pushes the button again. Rolling her eyes, she gives up and kicks at the logs again before grabbing the cordless phone and plopping down onto the couch. **

**She dials a number as she pulls the Christmas-themed throw blanket from the back of the couch over her and snuggles into the corner of the sofa. "Kathy?" She reaches over for the remote control and turns on the TV, flipping through channels as she speaks. "I'm good, you? Listen, I know we had planned to get the kids tonight but...yeah. Same old, right?" she laughs. "No, I'm home, but he really wanted to be the one that...yeah. On the way to his mother's, have them ready? Thanks, Kathy. Give them hugs and kisses for us."**

**She laughs again at something Kathy says, then says a quick goodbye before hanging up and letting her head fall into the cushion behind her. She hears the holiday music from the movie but her eyes wander around the room. Pictures on the walls, a brightly lit, decorated tree in the corner, stockings hung, the smell of pine and cinnamon in the air. **

**She laughs as she looks at the presents under the tree, remember how much tape and paper she wasted because Elliot kept telling her she was "doing it wrong." She lets her eyes wander over to the kitchen, to the plate of cookies she and Elliot stayed up until three in the morning baking and decorating together. Blinking, she shakes her head. A life she'd always wanted, dreamed of, but was certain she'd never have, was here, everywhere she looked, because of him. **

**Her eyes roam back to the fireplace, part of her hates it for not working at the moment, but she's content to stare at the large frame on the wall above it. Elliot, her, his five kids, all in matching sweaters making goofy faces. She laughs and smiles. It's a real home. Her home. Her family. Then she closes her eyes and her smile fades. She's alone tonight. **

**She shrugs and brushes it off, then looks back at the television, though it's not enough to keep her interest and before she realizes it, she's falling asleep. She wraps the blanket tighter around her, cursing to herself, wondering why Elliot didn't listen when she said the thermostat seemed to be on the fritz. **

**Pulling the knitted throw up to her nose, she gives in, and she let's sleep wash over her. **

**She isn't sure how long it's been, but something rouses her from her rather wonderful dream. Something hot, wet. "Hmmm," she moans, turning to flatten out on her back. She smiles, her hands fly to the head of the man currently licking and sucking at her neck. "El?"**

**"No," he murmurs. "It's Santa Claus."**

**She chuckles. "I swear, I've been a good girl this year."**

**"Fucking freezing in here," he spits, his hands working the blanket off of her, slipping up under her sweater. **

**She gasps as his chilly fingers flow up her stomach, making her twitch, and she moans when he palms her breasts through her bra and masterfully unclips it with a single finger. **

**"God, I love the front-clasp ones," he jokes, teeth scraping her neck and jawline, his hot breath heating her up. "Miss me?"**

**"Thought you said you were..." something he does makes her pause and moan and arch into him. "God, Elliot."**

**He laughs low and deep, his fingers twisting at her hardened nipples. "Call it a Christmas miracle." He slides his hands down and grabs her sweater, lifting and pulling it over her head. He groans when he feels her hands on him, popping the buttons on his shirt and shirking it away from his skin. "So, you were a good girl, huh?"**

**She nods. She smirks, and when he rocks into her she moans. "An angel," she says on an almost-growl, raking her nails down his back as the cotton falls away from him. **

**"That's the damn truth," he says, seriously, gazing down at her. He keeps her focus as he pulls her slacks over her hips, grunting slightly when she raises up, hitting into him. He bends his head to kiss her as he throws the black pants to the floor, then struggles to get his own ****trousers down and off without having to pull away from her. **

**She moans his name when he relatches his mouth to her neck, then kisses a trail down her chest, swoops his tongue over both nipples, then sucks one into his mouth. "Fuck, El," she makes a frustrated noise and her hips buck into him, her wetness sliding against his hard length. She hears him whimper, and she smirks and does it again. **

**He looks at her with fire in his eyes, and suddenly it's not cold anymore. "Liv," he says with a fierce smirk, "Don't."**

**"What?" she says, her grin matching his as her hands trickle down his body and cup his ass. "Baby?"**

**He rolls his eyes back and grumbles something before kissing back up to her lips. He stays their, lavishing, savoring, memorizing, and he moves into her so slowly, inch by inch. "Told him I had to take you to Midnight Mass," he mumbles against her lips. **

**"But it's only ten..."**

**"Turned the clock in his office ahead by an hour," he interrupts with a laugh as he hits deep, bottoming out inside of her. "Franks is gonna go in and fix it at eleven, make the poor guy think the night's moving fucking slow as shit."**

**She laughs as her hands lace together around his neck. "I already called Kathy and..."**

**"I know," he stops her, and he pulls out slowly before pushing in again, finding a rhythm that's both blissful and torturous. "I needed to be home with you tonight. It's our first Christmas together in the house, and..." he stops talking, something in the way she's looking back at him making him feel that words are trivial now. ****"You are so beautiful," he whispers before claiming her with a kiss again.**

**She moans into his mouth and her nails curl into his skin as he picks up speed and deepens his strokes. "Aren't you going to get in..."**

**"Don't care," he huffs, moving his arms down to hook under her thighs so he can get deeper, go harder, keep her as close as he can. "No way was I leaving you along tonight." He hunches and thrusts with more fervor and kisses her, catching her whimpers, her moans, returning each one. **

**Their skin slaps together, their motions rock the sofa, making the cushions and floorboards below creak, the blanket falls off of the couch completely, but all of it goes unnoticed. They're lost. **

**"Close," she breathes against his mouth. "So close, baby."**

**"Yeah," he huffs. "I know. I always know." And he suckles on her bottom lip as he slightly twists her body and he hears her cry out his name a little louder. "Come on, Liv," he coaxes, "It's Christmas Eve. One present, a little early, huh?"**

**Her eyes open wide and her mouth opens as every cell in her body explodes and her eyes fill with Christmas stars. **

**"Holy shit," he seethes, trying to thrust through the way she's tightening around him, his mouth still assaulting hers. His refusal to stop kissing her is intense. "Oh, God, Liv," he growls before, holding her tight and still and slamming hard, once, letting go. **

**They crumple together, her legs tighten around him and her ankles lock at his back. She pulls him deeper still, keeping him from moving away. Their kiss has softened, slowed, their hands knot together and their fingers toy with each other. Whispered "I love yous" and hard, heavy breaths pass between kisses, and their flesh slides together as they cuddle even closer. **

**He shifts, keeping them joined but making them more comfortable. He moves only one arm, reaching over the side of the couch for the blanket, covering them with it, then reaching for the remote on the coffee table. He pushed a few buttons, then aims, and the fireplace roars to life. **

**"Why...why didn't you tell me it did that?" she chides, staring wide-eyed at him. **

**He winks at her and kisses her. "Warming you up this way was much more fun." He nuzzles her a bit. "I told you I'd unwrap my present before morning." He pulls her closer, wraps her up tighter, and he sighs. "This is amazing, huh? You and me, a fire, and it smells so...good in here."**

**She looks over at him, kissing his chin, then his lips. "Merry Christmas, baby."**

**He smiles, kisses her forehead and says, "It certainly is."  
**

**A/N: Next? A white wedding, that almost isn't. A new twist on things, for me, at least.**


	5. White Wedding - Part One

**A/N: A White Wedding, which makes someone else's Christmas special. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

"John," Elliot said, straightening his tie. "You sure the priest..."

"Rabbi," Munch corrected.

Elliot grinned. "Sorry," he said. "He won't mind that I'm not Jewish?"

Munch rolled his eyes. "Your witnessing a wedding, not getting Bar Mitzvah-ed." He straightened his own tie and took a deep breath. "Religion doesn't matter."

Elliot looked at the man who'd been more like an older brother than a friend for over a decade. "The candelabra..."

"Menorah," Munch said with a chuckle. "Such a gentile."

Elliot laughed again. "Sorry! Why is it..."

"When a couple marries during the Holy Days, some believe it's more important to light a menorah rather than a unity candle. It's ceremonial and celebratory of the season, the miracle of Hanukkah and the miracle of the marriage."

Elliot nodded. "Gotcha," he said, tugging on his sleeves.

Munch looked over at him, and he smiled. "I'm on marriage number six," he said. "Or five. Or...point is, when are you getting..."

"It's not just up to me, man," Elliot said with a sigh. "I got kids, they need to..."

"They're all grown up, Elliot," Munch said, nodding at his friend. "I think they'll understand if you don't ask their permission."

Elliot opened his mouth to speak, but the doors in the back of the temple opened. Munch's fiancée, dressed in a simple white lace gown, walked down a white carpet.

Elliot moved to the side, standing closer to the front row of chairs, closer to Olivia. He watched as the Rabbi presided and prayed in Hebrew over the couple, standing under an elaborately carved chuppa, and he smiled.

He looked over at Olivia and winked, and she looked back at him with nothing but love in her eyes. It was that moment that made him realize what he wanted for Christmas. He took a breath and turned back to Munch, and he watched them light the center candle of the menorah together.

Munch clapped his hands together and stepped on a glass wrapped in a napkin, then everyone in the room cheered as he and his new wife kissed. Elliot followed them back down the white carpet and out the temple doors, and he gasped when he hit the cold air.

"Snow," Munch said, laughing. "Fitting. A white wedding." He turned to Elliot. "We'll see you at the..."

"Yeah," Elliot nodded, as he was pushed and shoved by the people trying to get out of the temple and around him. "I got something I gotta do first, but I'll be there."

Munch nodded, and he pulled his wife by the hand toward a black towncar as he waved to his loved ones.

"That was nice," Olivia said, stepping up next to Elliot.

Elliot grabbed her hand. "It was sweet." He kissed her nose.

She handed him his coat and kissed his nose in return. "Very."

As he pulled on his coat, he looked at her. "So, uh, you wouldn't want to take a walk with me, would you?"

"The reception is..."

"Munch knows we're gonna be a little late," he interrupted. "He knew, before I did."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "You're my ride, so I don't think I have a choice, here." She laughed as he took her hand again, and they walked through the snow, crunching along the sidewalk.

They traveled down a path into a garden, sharing sweet whispers and soft kisses along the way.

"Liv, you know..." he took a deep breath and shivered. "You know I love you."

She grinned at him. "I love you, too," she said, then brushed the snow off of his left shoulder, "Snowman."

He laughed, then he turned to her. "Liv, I love you...more than I thought I could ever love someone." He bit his lip. "I know, I know what you're thinking, and I loved her, I did...but not...it's different with you."

She tilted her head. "Did part of the chuppa hit you in the head?"

He scoffed at her. "I'm fine," he shook his head. "I just...this whole thing...watching Munch do this...again...made me realize...I'm ready if you are."

"Ready for what?" She shivered and moved closer to him, her hands gripping and curling around the collar of his coat.

"To be a husband again," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "Your husband."

She gasped and shook her head quickly. "Did I hear you, did you just..."

"I don't have a ring," he broke in. "But I have one picked out. I was...I was thinking...about asking you on Christmas Eve, but I wasn't sure if...so I guess I'm asking you now. Will you..."

She pressed a finger to his lips. "Ask me on Christmas Eve," she whispered with a smirk. "I promise you, my answer won't change."

"So what's your answer?" he asked, his words muffled against the cold skin of her finger.

She smiled, she leaned toward him, and she replaced her finger with her lips. "Yes," she whispered.

He pulled her to him again, kissed her deeply, and held her tight as the snow fell around them. "You do know that Christmas Eve is..."

"Tomorrow," she said, nodding. "I know. I won't change my mind, El. I knew...long ago," she kissed him. "I decided years ago that I wanted to marry you. That doesn't go away, and especially not in a day."

"Well," he said with a grin, "You're always telling me that a woman has a right to change her mind."

She rolled her eyes. "About shoes, El," she laughed. "You can't change your mind about love."

He kissed her once more then linked hands with her. "Come on," he said with a light laugh, "We have a wedding reception to go to."

She dropped her head to his shoulder and they made the walk back to Elliot's car. Visions of her own wedding reception danced her head, like Sugar Plums. Her heart thudded like a drum. Her hand clenched his harder, knowing now that she'd never have to let go.

"I love you," she whispered to him as she stopped him, only a foot away from the car.

He smiled, kissed her, and brushed snowflakes out of her hair. "I love you, too, Liv." He winked at her and held his car door open for her, and he said a silent thank you to God as he ran to the driver's side.

This year, Christmas Eve was going to a be a night neither of them would ever forget.

**A/N: Last chapter coming Monday afternoon, Christmas Eve. ;)**


	6. White Wedding- Part Two

**A/N: A White Wedding, which makes someone else's Christmas special. (Sorry for the delay in this, family emergencies and sickness hindered completing it)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and all related characters. TStabler owns the following story.**

"Her dress was beautiful," Melinda said, twirling a candy-cane around in her hot chocolate. "I think I'm going for something shorter, though."

Alex shrugged. "Looked a little too plain," she said, popping a chestnut into her mouth.

"It was a Jewish wedding," Trevor blinked at her. His hand rested comfortably on her knee. "You can have all the bling you want."

She nodded. "Damn right I can."

Melinda looked at Fin, then back at Alex. "I think the flowers could have been more...I don't know...colorful. Everything was so...white."

"You can knock yourself out with the whole damn rainbow, babe," Fin told her with a laugh.

Olivia shook her head as she lowered the plate of gingerbread cookies to the coffee table. "Listen to you two," she chuckled. "It's a Christmas party, can you talk about something besides your wedding plans?"

Alex scoffed and looked up at the tall brunette. "Sounds like someone's bitter because she doesn't have a wedding to plan, hm?"

Elliot, hearing that, smirked as he brought his cup of cocoa to his lips. "Actually..."

Olivia held up her left hand, palm facing outward, and said, "He asked me...before you all showed up."

Elliot pulled her into him and kissed her temple, laughing softly at the faces of his gawking colleagues and friends.

"What? How? How the Hell..." Trevor babbled, his hand moving from Alex's knee to his face to drag down his chin.

Olivia turned and kissed Elliot softly, then rested her head on his shoulder. "It was just us and the kids."

"The cookies and quiche were in the oven, everything was set up, done, and I..." Elliot blinked. "I looked at her and she had this smile on her face...like her life was perfect at that moment, content."

"He said he had something to get out of the car," Olivia added. She turned her head and looked at Fin, Melinda, Alex, then Trevor, before her eyes landed on a grinning Captain Cragen standing behind the couch. "He came back with a blue box."

"Tiffany!" Alex gasped, turning to glare, annoyed, at Trevor.

"Go on," Melinda urged.

Elliot took a sip of his chocolate, running his left hand up and down Olivia's side as he wrapped his arm around her. "I didn't even take off my coat, I walked right up to her and I said..."

"He said," Maureen, his oldest daughter, interrupted, "That Olivia had been there every time he felt like his life was over, and she was the one who always helped him begin again."

Kathleen, the middle daughter, smiled and spoke. "Then he took her hands and said that every time they were ever apart...different cases, days off, anything...he felt like he couldn't breathe. Not until she was back, until he could see her and know she was safe."

Lizzie, Elliot's youngest girl, laughed as she said, "Liv was starting to cry, but she nodded and told him she felt the same thing, the same way."

"Then Dad said he never wanted to be short of breath again," Dickie, the oldest son, "Unless it was because Liv took his breath away."

"Which happens everyday, now," Elliot whispered, looking at Olivia.

Kathleen sighed as she remembered and told them all, "He got down on one knee."

"He flicked off the lid to the box," Lizzie said.

"Then he said, " Dickie cleared his throat and rested his hands on the back of the couch, next to Cragen. "Partners, for better or worse, for life."

"Will you marry me?" Elliot repeated, with Olivia now tightly wrapped in both arms, staring into her eyes.

She sniffled, crying again. "Yes," she nodded, answering him for a second time. She leaned closer and kissed him, her hands pressed to the sides of his face, their working lips curling into kissing smiles.

Alex turned with flattened lips to Trevor. "All I got was, 'hey, babe, think we should tie the knot?"

Trevor looked away from her and downed his cup of egg nog. "I thought it was cute."

Fin laughed. "Proposals have to mean somethin' to ya," he said. "It's gotta be right for you, not anyone else, quit comparin' because Stabler is tryin' to bring back romance."

Melinda rolled her eyes. "He's only saying that because all he did was push a ring toward me and say, 'Let's do this."

The group erupted in laughs and smiles, but Elliot and Olivia were still lost, kissing each other. Cragen tilted his head, pushing the decision he now needed to make to the back of his mind. He cleared his throat, as Dickie had before, and got everyone's attention. "Well," he sighed, raising his glass. "First, to Olivia and Elliot. May your life together bring you...everything in life you've ever wanted."

Elliot nodded with a soft smile at him, then kissed Olivia's temple and sighed.

"And to Munch and Lena," he said, turning his glass a bit, "Who are missing this family party to enjoy their honeymoon." He scoffed. "Priorities," he joked. "And to the rest of you...You are my family. I'm blessed and honored to be here, spending this night with all of you. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Me either," Olivia said with a smile.

Cragen raised his glass a little higher toward her and said, "Merry Christmas."

The glasses all clinked and rattled and shouts of "Here, here!" and "Cheers!" filled the room.

Cragen looked on, knowing that by New Year's Eve, everything would change, and he wasn't ready. He smiled at Olivia and Elliot as they kissed again, and he knew then, that he would be.

**A/N: Merry Christmas. **


End file.
